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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing alpha male hero, smart and likeable heroine, January 13, 2012
This review is from: All That Bleeds (A Novel of the Etherlin) (Mass Market Paperback)
I admit I was nervous about reading a book where the heroine is descended from the Muses and inspires artwork and the sciences in human minds. But this book blew me away. The plot is fast paced, keeps you guessing, and the world building is great. The hero, Merrick is extremely protective of the heroine, Alissa, and their love letters were hilarious to read. Merrick is a man who has chosen to do one thing, help Alissa, and no one is going to stand in his way. Merrick will do anything to protect Alissa. Alissa does NOT do stupid things and makes smart decisions. She is very likeable. The love story was sweet and romantic. Both characters had real emotions and were believable. When I finished this book I wanted to read it again. The end of the book has an excerpt from the second novel of the Etherlin series coming in summer 2012 and I cannot wait to read it. I loved this book and highly recommend it.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A satisfying forbidden romance and a pretty very un-PNR-like cover too, January 28, 2012
This review is from: All That Bleeds (A Novel of the Etherlin) (Mass Market Paperback)
I really liked All That Bleeds, Kimberly Fox's first novel in her new Etherlin series and even though All that Bleeds is a much better story, I think my enjoyment was enhanced by having read the prequel short First Light in the Tied with a Bow anthology. Because even though Frost's Etherlin world is interesting and populated with Muses, the gangster-like Ventala (half human progeny of vampires), and fallen angels, the world is not fully explained here, so it helped to have a bit of the world building coming in. Having read the short, I also had a heads up on the leading pair Muse Alissa and one time ventala enforcer Merrick there was just a glimpse of their forbidden romance - but I though that even that peek was stole the spotlight from the leading pair in short, and I was so ready for their story here. One of the things that I really enjoyed about All That Bleeds is how that relationship - a friendship that should never have been nurtured - grew from afar through gifts and letters. As much as I like soul mates, building on a connection that grew over time was a nice change of pace to all of those instantaneous mate bonds which are all too often used as a quick and dirty device to pull PNR couples together. And being exceedingly hero-centric I thought that Merrick was a great romantic lead - an understated but lethally dangerous intelligent bad boy with a heart. Also, even though the background plot ties up pretty quickly at the end, I did liked the touch of the suspense which served to bring the pair together and keep them together with the heroine in peril long enough to cement their relationship. Probably the one thing I found odd about the book was the Muses themselves, while the idea of special race with the ability to magically stoke the creative energy in the humans they sponsor was very original, they ended up feeling sort of like psychic cheerleaders who magically inspire their groupies to greatness. I don't know that Muses on the whole entirely work for me yet. Even still, I did enjoy the All That Bleeds, and the setup for the next starring pair - a Muse and a fallen angel - will have me checking out the next book.
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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dark Story with Romance, Twists, & Turns, January 3, 2012
This review is from: All That Bleeds (A Novel of the Etherlin) (Mass Market Paperback)
Alissa is the good girl, Merrick plays the bad boy, and they both do it oh so well. The story opens in the height of action and continues with a quick pace throughout the book. Even in the downtime scenes, the getting to know our characters bit, it still flows quickly and fluidly, never a dull moment. Learning about both Alissa's past and Merrick's was interesting and often downright entertaining. (Merrick's definitely the winner for the crazy friend story.) Alissa's character is endearing and I felt for her and the facade she had to put on every day in order to play her role appropriately and care for her father. Merrick, while harsh in some of the things he does, never made me hate him for what he did, not once. If anything he's someone you swoon over without thinking twice. The plot had twists and turns and navigation's I didn't expect. While the romance was expected (and wanted!) by reading the summary, it was still tense and moving. Who doesn't want someone that only has eyes for them and would move heaven and earth to get to them? When I finished this book I realized I'd love to read more about where the characters go, and whoohoo - that's why there are more books to come. I will definitely be picking up the next book in The Etherlin series. ARC Reviewed by Jessica for Book Sake.
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